John Emmerig

John Emmerig is one of Australia's leading litigation lawyers. He has 34+ years' experience and a national reputation for handling high-stakes domestic and cross-border litigation for prominent multinationals and major Australian companies. His key focus areas are class action defense, "bet-the-company" level corporate/commercial disputes, and government/regulator actions and investigations.

Clients describe John as "an exceptional lawyer with a great intellect and impeccable judgment," "profoundly experienced," and note that "his technical excellence combined with his pragmatic, thoughtful and strategic lens puts him in a league of his own." He provides "a quality of legal service that is second to none."

John is routinely involved in some of the largest and most complex commercial cases conducted in Australia superior courts. He has advised on 38+ filed/threatened class actions, scores of high-stakes corporate and government disputes, 20+ Royal Commissions/Statutory Commissions/Parliamentary inquiries, and has decades of experience as a trusted adviser to companies/boards/C-suites on investigations and enforcement actions by key Australian regulators (including ASIC and APRA).

John is co-chair of the Class Actions Committee of the Law Council of Australia and lead author of the "Class Actions" section of the Federal Court Case Management Handbook. He is a member of the Federal Court of Australia's Consultation/Liaison Committee on Class Actions, the ASIC's Enforcement and Regulatory Litigation Consultation Group, AMCHAM's Defence and National Security Committee, and the editorial board of the Journal of Equity. John co-chairs the Law Council's Transnational Litigation Committee. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor of Law in 2016 and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.